


World Victory Tour - Vancouver

by nanuk_dain



Series: Drift Compatible [52]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Family Bonding, Humor, M/M, PBC (Post-Breach-Collapse), PPDC World Victory Tour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 15:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17963057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanuk_dain/pseuds/nanuk_dain
Summary: In Vancouver Chuck has a chance encounter with a person from his past and ends up spending an entire evening with his Dad. Life never ceases to surprise him.





	World Victory Tour - Vancouver

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on a roll, really, because here's the next part and the three subsequent ones are finished as well. I hope you like the good news ^_^ Now go and enjoy!

_Vancouver, Canada, February 15th 2025_

 

When Chuck steps into the elevator of their hotel in central Vancouver, there's already a woman inside the cabin who gives him a quick, nondescript smile before looking straight ahead. She's in her mid to late thirties, of medium build and has a shock of brown curls in a pony tail. She's wearing a freshly pressed J-Tech overall, which is not that surprising given that almost the entire hotel is occupied by PPDC personnel.

Chuck frowns. She looks familiar, but he can't quite put his finger on where he knows her from. She's not part of his - Striker Eureka's - crew of Hong Kong, that much he knows for sure, since he's familiar with every single member of his crew. Maybe she's from one of the other Jaegers? Or maybe he met her at the Academy during training... 

That's when it hits him and he blurts out, "Maggie?!"

The woman turns her head to look at him with an expression of momentary confusion that clears almost immediately, to be replaced by a huge smile. "Chuck! Is that really you? I haven't seen you since you left Kodiak Island for Sydney!"

Chuck feels a huge smile come to his lips. "It _is_ you! Wow, it's been ages."

"About six years." Maggie laughs. "I can tell - you're taller than me now! And you look a lot more grown up than back when you camped out in the Jaeger bay without official permission."

Chuck laughs at the memory. It's a good one, and he still cherishes it. He fondly remembers the time he spent in the bay with Maggie when he was still a kid, working on all parts of the Jaeger and learning the engineering side of things along the way. She was a great teacher, always challenged him in subtle ways that made him _want_ to learn things, to understand them and be able to fix whatever was wrong. She was also about the only person he listened to back then, because he knew she'd never let him join her in the Jaeger bay again if he didn't. It was a powerful way to motivate him to behave.

"Oh, I loved sneaking into the bay." He admits with a grin.

Maggie chuckles. "Yeah, I distinctly remember."

"So, what are you doing here?" Chuck wonders when the elevator stops on the ground floor and they both get out.

"Ms James asked me to give a short talk about what I do as a J-Tech. You know, during the live show tonight." Maggie explains while they make their way through the lobby. "I'm originally from Vancouver, and she thought it would make it easier for people to relate if a local - like me - presented the topic."

"Cunning." Chuck says with somewhat reluctant respect for Ms James. 

"And where are you headed?" Maggie asks when they come to a stop close to the reception desk.

"I'm scheduled to participate in a radio programme now, something about - and I quote - 'the heroes of the Kaiju War'." Chuck replies with a roll of his eyes that he doesn't bother to hide. Maggie has seen much worse from him - after all, she got to know him during his difficult teenage years. "But hey, tonight we'll be on the live show together. Raleigh and I are scheduled to show up as well. It's Aleksis's and Sasha's turn to have a day off."

"Oh yes, Raleigh Becket. I remember him and his brother back from the Glory Days. He's your co-pilot now, isn't he? I think remember hearing that you were matched right before Operation Pitfall."

"That's right." Chuck chuckles. "Fun fact: Pitfall was our first time in a real Jaeger,"

Maggie whistles appreciatively. "Not a bad for a first performance."

Chuck bows mockingly. "Why, thank you."

Maggie chuckles. "So, how's your father? I haven't seen him either since the two of you left. Well, not in person, at least. There was plenty of TV coverage these last few weeks."

"He's still recovering, like pretty much all of us, but he's getting there." Chuck hesitates for a moment, then he decides to continue. "He's much better since Pentecost woke up."

"Yeah, that's not surprising. Those two were always close." Maggie replies with the casual certainty of a person who has known something for a long time and takes it for granted. Chuck is not really surprised she knows about them. "Say, would you like to meet up in the hotel bar after the show tonight? I'd love to catch up with you and your dad."

"Of course. I'll ask him when I see him, I'm sure he'll make the time for you."

At that Maggie laughs. "He probably still thinks he owes me because I let you stay with me in the Jaeger bay all the time. He once said I was the babysitter he never knew he needed so desperately."

"Oi! I didn't need a babysitter!" Chuck complains, making sure to exaggerate his indignation to make his point unmistakably clear.

Maggie's grin just widens. "Oh yes, you did."

Before Chuck can give an appropriate reply, a concierge approaches and informs Chuck that his car has arrived. 

"Sorry, I have to run." Chuck says with genuine regret. He'd loved to stay and chat with Maggie, while he certainly doesn't love radio appearances. They're even more annoying than TV interviews. "I'll see you tonight and I'll let you know about meeting up later, okay?"

"Sure thing." Maggie's grin becomes mischievous. "And enjoy your radio performance, oh hero of the Kaiju War."

"You're evil, Mags." Chuck complains with a pout, but it only makes Maggie laugh. The sound follows him out of the lobby. She really hasn't changed a bit - she's always enjoyed teasing him and had honed it to perfection over the years before Chuck was transferred away from Kodiak Island. Obviously the years without contact haven't negatively impacted on that skill. 

Chuck forces himself to sit through the radio show without offending anybody, although the interviewer is not the most polite person and has a tendency to ask questions that are bordering hard on inappropriate without ever crossing the line to a point where he could openly complain. It grates on his nerves and he grits his teeth to keep from saying something that Ms James will have his head for. 

Once the engagement is over, the car comes by to bring him back to the hotel. Chuck allows himself to relax when he leans back in the leather seats, although he knows the worst isn't over yet. The live show tonight is scheduled to take about four hours from their arrival at the station til their departure, and Chuck dreads the two hours they're going to be on air. He hates TV appearances, especially when there's so much riding on their success. Before the World Victory Tour, Chuck never bothered to perform for the media, he just said what he was thinking without caring about the impact of his words. He had a job to do, and that job was to fight off Kaiju, not to be a TV star for the PPDC. He got away with it, too, because he was among the best at what he was doing and the world _needed_ him. 

That has fundamentally changed now, and he's well aware of the importance of the success of the tour. His job right now is to generate money, positive publicity and support in the public in order to keep the PPDC going. If he ever wants to get into a Conn-Pod again, he'll have to work to acquire the money necessary to actually build a Jaeger first. It's pretty much the only reason that makes him behave. Well, _try_ to behave. He still can get away with a lot more than pretty much anybody else on the team, and he knows it. The media are used to his often direct and impolite ways, after all, they almost expect it from him.

The car stops and Chuck realises that he daydreamed throughout the entire ride. He shakes his head to clear it and gets out of the car. It's a fortunate coincidence that he sees his dad walking towards the elevator bank just when Chuck's entering the lobby, which makes him remember the chance meeting with Maggie this morning. 

"Hey, Dad!" Chuck calls loud enough that his old man turns around with an expression on his face that Chuck is tempted to call surprised. Of course Chuck doesn't bother to run or even speed up his gait, but his dad waits for him to come close with surprising patience. Maybe it's a sign that things are really improving between them, Chuck can't help thinking.

"Hey Chuck." His dad greets him with the slight guardedness that's been between them for so long that it became a habit. He obviously has absolutely no idea what this is about. "What's up?"

"I met Maggie today." Chuck informs him without preamble, getting straight to the point. "She'd love to meet up with the two of us tonight. You've got time?"

"Maggie who?" His dad seems confused, so Chuck decides to be nice and help him out. 

"You know, the J-Tech from Kodiak Island I used to pester so that I could spend time in the Jaeger bay."

_That_ his dad remembers immediately. "Oh yes, Maggie the involuntary babysitter!" 

"Oi! I did _not_ need a babysitter!" Chuck exclaims once again, because he does have a reputation to protect. 

"Well, let's call her a teacher, then." His dad replies with a barely hidden smirk tugging on his lips.

"Sounds better." Chuck says, but he can't helping rolling his eyes. "So, you'll come?"

"Of course. It'll be great to catch up." Herc agrees immediately. Then he smirks. "And I _do_ owe her."

"Yeah, she suspected that you might feel that way."

"Well, she's right." His dad admits with a smirk. "When and where do we meet?"

"Tonight after the show, here in the hotel bar. Maggie is in the show as well, so you'll probably see her before anyway."

"I'll be there." There's a ping that announces the arrival of the elevator and Herc gestures towards it. "Sorry, I've got a meeting now, I have to go. I'll see you at the show tonight."

Chuck snorts. "Yeah, I'm sure you're looking forward to it as much as I am."

"I'm absolutely thrilled." His dad replies and doesn't make any effort to hide the irony behind his words. It makes Chuck chuckle. He and his dad may have been at odds for a long time, but they've always had their dislike for media appearances in common. 

Chuck checks the time and decides that the remaining three hours until the departure to the TV station are enough to drag Raleigh to the hotel's gym and pool. He knows it's important that they keep up with their workouts if they want to get back into shape after the forcefully imposed training break due to their injuries. Their public fight in Anchorage was a very good reminder of how far away they are from their original condition. They've got a long way to go, Raleigh even more so than Chuck. He's getting better, especially since he got rid of the strong meds, but he's not back on his feet yet. His shoulder is still acting up sporadically, and the fight and the snowmobile tour didn't exactly help. 

Raleigh agrees easily enough when Chuck arrives at their room. It's satisfying to blow off some steam after the morning's annoying radio program, and Chuck sees it as a precaution for tonight's show as well. When he's pleasantly exhausted from a good workout, it'll be easier to be his pleasant, charming self in the face of idiotic and prying questions.

For once the live show is not as taxing as Chuck expected it to be. The hostess is actually quite nice, asks mostly intelligent questions and doesn't pry too much. However, it's still a TV appearance, so Chuck is annoyed on principle. His dad and Raleigh seems to be having fun, though, because they both know the hostess from the Glory Days and the three of them definitely enjoy poking fun at stereotypes. Pentecost is not part of the show, which is probably a good thing because Chuck isn't sure he would have approved of the lax tone. Chuck leans back and lets them do their thing, especially because it's a nice change to how TV shows usually go. Not to mention that Raleigh is utterly charming because he's comfortable with the hostess and doesn't feel threatened. Chuck not only enjoys his beautiful smiles, he's also quite sure that the audience is swooning. Tonight's show will definitely be a success. 

Maggie joins their round shortly after the halfway point to give her presentation. It's very well done and reminds Chuck again of how good a teacher she was to him. She's precise and on point, giving enough information to keep people interested without overwhelming them with all the depth and details that the topic of Jaeger engineering actually includes. Chuck wouldn't be surprised if her talk gets quite a few people interested in joining the Academy to become a J-Tech. He's sure Ms James counted on that effect. She probably researched who to take for the J-Tech presentation before settling on Maggie - and therefore on Vancouver, to be able to play on the local card. She's really scary, that PR woman.

It'll be good to have more J-Tech applicants to the Academy, Chuck can't help thinking while listening to Maggie's presentation. The entrance requirements to the J-Tech section of the Academy have always been notoriously high, even higher than on the Ranger section. Chuck knows that the assessments could take several days because the final candidates aren't chosen for their excellent degrees or raving references, but for the potential a candidate has, never mind their educational background. The PPDC prefers to train from scratch a person of high potential, but with no prior skills, instead of working with a predefined semi-professional who is too set in his ways to evolve. There's a reason why J-Techs are considered the best in the field of engineering, after all. Hopefully they can get back to that level with the Academy reopening. They're going to need new J-Techs - a lot of them. And many former J-Techs won't return to their old jobs just because the PPDC is looking for personnel. Many are bound to have built new lives in new locations which they're not willing to leave again. Especially since they remember being let go once already.

Chuck is pulled out of his musings when the first question is directed at Maggie and then the following one at Herc. Chuck forces himself to pay attention, he doesn't want to be surprised by a question and make a fool out of himself. The rest of the show passes surprisingly quickly and then they're whisked to the make-up room and afterwards back to the hotel. Raleigh knows about Chuck's plans to meet Maggie and pecks him on the cheek before he disappears into the elevator. 

When Chuck enters the hotel bar, Maggie is already sitting in a booth in the back with a beer in front of her. She's still wearing her J-Tech overall and seems to be utterly comfortable in it. Chuck remembers that she practically always walked around in an overall back on Kodiak Island. She's a lot like Mako in that regard - they're both the most comfortable when fiddling with a Jaeger while wearing grease-stained overalls. 

"Hey Mags." Chuck greets her while slipping into the booth across from her. "Your presentation was awesome. You're going to be the hero of the next generation of J-Techs."

"Well, thanks you very much, Chuck." Maggie says with a pleased smile and flags down the waiter for a beer for Chuck. "I have to admit that it took quite some time to prepare it, though. And I did have two rehearsals with Ms James because she insisted."

"It certainly paid off." Chuck replies just as the waiter brings his beer. Before Chuck can add anything, he spots his dad walking up to their table. He took the time to change out of his Marshall's uniform into his usual attire of jeans, boots and henley, and Chuck can't say he's surprised. His dad never much liked to dress formal. 

"Maggie." Herc is smiling, and it's obviously genuine. "It's good to see you."

"Hello Herc." Maggie gets up to give Herc a warm embrace. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Of course I did. I would not have missed this." He smirks, and it's decidedly mischievous. "You know that I still owe you for being the best involuntarily babysitter I've ever had for my son."

"I'm sitting right here, old man." Chuck points out with a cocked eyebrow. He's not really pissed, though, and he doesn't bother to contain the smirk on his lips. Maggie just laughs and sits back down while Herc slips into the booth next to Chuck.

"Tell men, how did your public fight in Anchorage go?" Maggie asks Chuck when the beer for Herc arrives. "I heard it was a huge success."

"It was pretty strange to fight in front of so many people." Chuck admits easily. "You know that kwoon fights are always a rather intimate thing. Even trials only have few onlookers, and all of those are working for the PPDC in some capacity, so they know what it's about."

"Yeah, I was lucky enough to be present at a few trials. It was always very impressive, but there were never more than twenty people present." Maggie recalls. "How many were there in the arena?"

"About six thousand. Believe me, it felt very weird."

"I still have my public fight ahead of me. It'll be my turn in Sydney." Herc chimes in.

"Are you fighting with Pentecost?" Maggie is obviously curious as well as surprised. "I wouldn't have expected him to agree to that."

"It wasn't easy, but since you know Amanda James, you know that she's _very_ convincing." Herc sighs. "She didn't really leave us a choice." 

Maggie chuckles. "I believe that immediately. Ms James is one of the most persuasive and scary people I've ever met."

"She's certainly very devoted to her cause of promoting the PPDC." Herc admits with another sigh. "And while I'm really glad we have her, I should have known that she wouldn't back off of Stacker and me."

"Yep, you should have know that. She's been doing this job for long enough, after all." Chuck has no mercy with his dad, especially because Ms James doesn't spare him or Raleigh either. She distributes her scary determination to everybody equally.

"So, what have you been up to in the past years, Maggie?" Herc asks after giving Chuck a long-suffering gaze. "I'm sure it was reasonably easy to follow our adventures what with the media exposure."

"Actually, I've been teaching at the Academy until it was closed." Maggie takes a sip of her beer and leans back in the booth. "And I'm happy to let you know that Tendo has already rehired me. And boy, I'm so glad about that. I've worked as a mechanic at a car repair shop since the Academy closed, and it's been so incredibly boring. I miss the challenge of working on a Jaeger and teaching fledgelings about it."

"You mean like that fledgling back in the day?" Herc jerks his chin at Chuck with a grin, but Chuck is surprised that he's able to tell that it's good-natured instead of teasing. 

It's one of the reasons why he's not actually offended, but he still makes a point to frown at his dad. "I was _not_ a fledgeling, old man."

"True." Maggie agrees with a wide grin. "You were more like a puppy, mostly just arms and legs and nothing in the right proportions. I always thought you looked like a puppy. A ginger, mulish puppy."

Herc chokes out a spontaneous laugh, and even Chuck can't help joining in. It's actually quite an apt description of what he looked like as a teenager.

"All right, I accept 'puppy', but not 'fledgeling'. Already back then I was well past the level of a fledgeling." Chuck barters.

"I can't deny that. Otherwise I would never have let you come that close to an actual Jaeger." Maggie agrees with a note of seriousness that tells him she means it. "I really have to say that the beginner classes start at a very different level. Most of them need to be taught almost from scratch, because they never really had the chance to learn about the specifics of Jaegers. A car is not a Jaeger, after all."

Herc holds out his bottle. "To the revival of the PPDC, then."

Maggie leans forward and clinks her bottle to his, then Chuck joins them. "To the revival of the PPDC. And to meeting up with old friends."

"I drink to that." Maggie declared with a content smile. "I'm really looking forward to returning to what my Ma calls 'my old life'."

"Well, we'll definitely have the opportunity to revive old times after the tour, since all of us will be stationed on Kodiak Island." Herc says with an equally content smile. Chuck is surprised that he can't remember when he last saw that expression on his dad's face. It must have been quite a while.

Maggie is a little surprised. "You're going to be there, too?"

Chuck shakes himself out of his weird mood, nods and takes a sip of his beer before he responds. "Raleigh and I signed up as Academy instructors as well as test pilots."

"For the new Mark series or the Civvies?" Maggie inquires with obvious interest. 

"Both." Chuck is amused to see his dad roll his eyes at the nickname for the Civilian Explorers. "I can't wait to get back into a Conn-Pod, never mind if it's in Civvies or in a Jaeger."

"And you, Herc?" 

"Well, I'll be going back and forth between Kodiak Island and Hong Kong." Herc replies with a shrug. "Sadly I climbed the ladder to such a degree that bureaucracy and administration are more my tasks than test piloting or instructing." 

"That's a pity, you and Pentecost were great test pilots back in the day." Maggie remarks with genuine regret. "But I guess keeping the PPDC up and running is a little more important considering that there are others who can serve as test pilots nowadays." 

"Unfortunately it is." Herc agrees and Chuck can tell that he's really unhappy about that. It's not that much of a surprise, he and his dad are alike in so far as that they are men of action. His dad is a Ranger much more than a politician, that's more Pentecost's thing. 

"Are you and Pentecost going to be a Marshall in Hong Kong and on Kodiak Island?" 

"No, we've actually decided that Stacker and I will run the PPDC and have others take the position of the respective Marshals." Herc explains and Chuck listens up, because that's news to him as well. "We'll be heading the entire organisation, which doesn't really leave the time to focus on the daily administration of a Shatterdome to the extent that is necessary to do a good job. We have so much on our hands with the overall organisation of the PPDC, not to mention the politics and the still very real threat of the UN trying to take over again."

Maggie whistles in awe. "Sounds like a full-time job." 

"It certainly is." Herc agrees with a profound sigh. "But I think it's worth it. We know that the threat of the Kaiju isn't permanently averted, so we have to make sure we're ready when they come back. It might be a pain, but I know why I'm doing it."

Herc is quiet for a moment, the he looks up with a grin. "And hey, I'm sure I get to go back into a Conn-Pod with Stacker when the time comes."

Maggie chuckles. "Always the adventure-seeking optimist."

Herc shrugs with a smirk and takes a sip of his beer. "Well, I'm a Ranger. I was never meant to be a politician."

"Cheers to that." Chuck says with a smile that is actually genuine and raises his bottle. Herc chuckles and joins him, followed by Maggie. They continue talking about everything and nothing until the waiter informs them that the bar is about to close. When Chuck glances at the clock above the bar, he's astonished to see that it's close to one in the morning. Of course they only met at about eleven pm since the live show took that long, but it still feels like time passed incredibly quickly. 

When they have paid their bill - Herc insisted on inviting both Maggie and Chuck - they make their way to the elevator bank the head up to their respective rooms. Maggie gets off first because she's two floors below theirs. She hugs both Chuck and Herc goodbye and makes them promise that they'll repeat this when they're all stationed on Kodiak Island. Chuck finds that it's a very easy promise to give.

When the elevator doors close and they're suddenly alone, Chuck is surprised that it doesn't feel awkward. He can't say when he last spent a relaxed evening with his dad, just sitting together, talking and laughing. It feels good in a weird, unfamiliar way. He's not quite sure what to make of it, but it's probably another step in the right direction. Who would have thought that a chance encounter with Maggie would help him reconnect with his dad? He certainly hadn't expected that when he'd agreed to meet up with her this evening.

The elevator pings and the doors open on the eleventh floor, where all the Rangers are settled. They step out together and then remain standing in the hallway a bit indecisively.

"I'm down there." Chuck says and points behind him.

"Well, my room is the other way." 

There's a moment of slightly awkward silence when they both quite obviously don't know what to do. Chuck is just about to say good night when his dad speaks up.

"This was new... good." His dad says with a lopsided smile that seems somehow vulnerable. He doesn't specify what he's talking about, but Chuck knows that he's not referring to meeting Maggie again.

"Yeah, it was." Chuck agrees after a moment and finds that he actually means it. "We should do it again."

There's surprise in his dad's eyes, and it settles into a pleased smile. "We should." After a second, he adds, "We will."

"Cool. Great." Chuck knows he's rambling, but he's not quite as embarrassed about it as he usually would be. Maybe it's the beer - though he only had two - or maybe the strange atmosphere or the late hour. He feels too good to care. "Night, Dad."

"Good night, Chuck." Herc says in a low voice and Chuck is sure that he can feel his gaze on his back when he walks down the hallway. Strangely enough, it's the first time in ages that it doesn't bother him.

**Author's Note:**

> If you don't remember who Maggie is: she got mentioned in passing in part 5 'It's in the Drift' and part 8 'Forced Holiday Trip'.


End file.
